Solutions for NCERT Class 7 History Our Pasts ll Chapter 8 ‘Eighteenth Century Political Formations’

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Find Solutions to Class 7 History- Our Pasts-ll Chapter 8 ‘Eighteenth Century Political Formations’ here:

1. State whether true or false.

(a) Nadir Shah invaded Bengal.

(b) Sawai Raja Jai Singh was the ruler of Indore.

(c) Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth Guru of the Sikhs.

(d) Poona became the capital of the Marathas in the eighteenth century.

Answer: 

(a) False – Nadir Shah sacked and plundered the city of Delhi in 1739 and took away immense amounts of wealth, including the Peacock throne.

(b) False – Sawai Raja Jai Singh of Amber was governor of Malwa. He extended his territory by seizing large portions of Bundi. Sawai Raja Jai Singh founded his new capital at Jaipur and was given the ‘subadari’ of Agra in 1722.

(c) True

(d) True

2. How were the Sikhs organised in the eighteenth century?

Answer:

The organisation of the Sikhs into a political community during the 17th century paved the way for the regional state-building in the Punjab. By the 18th century the Sikhs organised themselves in the following manner:

• Under a number of able leaders, the Sikhs organized themselves into a number of bands called jathas, and later misls. Their combined forces were known as the grand army (dal khalsa).
• In Amritsar during Baisakhi and Diwali, the entire body used to meet to take collective decisions called as the ‘resolutions of the Guru (gurmatas).’
• A system called ‘rakhi’ was introduced offering protection to cultivators on the payment of a tax of twenty per cent of the produce.
• Guru Gobind Singh had inspired the Khalsa with the belief that their destiny was to rule (raj karega khalsa).
• Their well-knit organisation enabled them to put up a successful resistance to the Mughal governors first and then to Ahmad Shah Abdali, who had seized the rich province of the Punjab and the Sarkar of Sirhind from the Mughals.
• The Sikh territories in the late eighteenth century extended from the Indus to the Jamuna, but they were divided under different rulers.

• One of them, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, reunited these groups and established his capital at Lahore in 1799.

3. Why did the Marathas want to expand beyond the Deccan?

Answer: 

Marathas wanted to expand beyond the Deccan because of the following reasons:

• They wanted to clip away the authority of the Mughal Empire and decrease its importance.
• By the 1720s, they seized Malwa and Gujarat from the Mughals and by the 1730s, the Maratha king was recognised as the overlord of the entire Deccan peninsula. 
• He had the right to collect Chauth and sardeshmukhi from the entire region.

• The areas of Rajasthan, Punjab in the north, Bengal and Orissa to the east, Karnataka, and the Tamil and Telegu regions to the south were not formally included in the Maratha empire, but were made to pay tribute as a way of accepting Maratha sovereignty.
• The expansion brought enormous resources which they used for financing military campaigns.

4. Do you think merchants and bankers today have the kind of influence they had in the eighteenth century?

Answer:

Merchants and bankers today do not wield the kind of influence over the management of the state’s revenue system as they did in the eighteenth century when the state depended on local bankers and ‘mahajans’ for loans.

In the eighteenth century, the state sold the right to collect taxes to the highest bidders against an agreement that it would be paid a fixed amount by the ‘revenue farmers’ (ijaradars). Local bankers guaranteed the payment of the contracted amount to the state. The revenue farmers were given considerable freedom in assessment and collection of taxes. These developments allowed the new social groups like money lenders and bankers a lot of power over the state finances.
At present the government has a mechanism for tax collection by its own revenue department, so the merchants and bankers have no say in the state finances.

5. Did any of the kingdoms mentioned in this chapter develop in your state? If so, in what ways do you think life in the state would have been different in the eighteenth century from what it is in the twenty- first century?

Answer:

We may take the example of the present-day state of Maharastra for our discussion. The Maratha kingdom under Shivaji rose as a powerful regional kingdom out of a sustained opposition to Mughal rule. And after Shivaji’s death the effective power of the state was wielded by a family of Chitpavan Brahmanas who served Shivaji’s successors as Peshwa.

Life would have been different in the eighteenth century from what it is in the twenty-first century in the following ways:

Life in the 18th century Maratha	Life in the 21st century Maharastra
The people had no rights and had to follow the dictates of the King who was a dictator,	People enjoy fundamental rights and live in a democracy. They enjoy freedom of speech and can voice their opinions.
The common people had no say in the affairs of the state.	The common people elect the government and their will is represented through their elected representative in parliament.
The State imposed heavy taxes and even the poorest had to pay ‘chauth’ which consisted of 25 percent of their produce to the zamindars and ‘sardeshmukhi’ which consisted of 9 to 10 per cent of land revenue to the revenue collector.	Farmers are exempt from paying taxes and the poor people do not have to pay income tax, but of course they have to pay indirect taxes like all citizens.
In case of drought or a bad crop for any other reason, they were not given relief from the obligation to pay taxes.	In case of crop failure or drought, many measures are taken by te government to provide relief to the farmers like waiver of loans from banks.
The people were at the mercy of the rulers and had no recourse against injustice.	There is a well organised judiciary who ensure that people’s rights are protected.
The state used all the resources to wage war and beautify their capitals. The Marathas led endless expensive military campaigns, but the needs of the common people were ignored. Nothing was done for their upliftment.	The government allocates the resources at its disposal for various purposes like development of a powerful army, building of roads, bridges and other infrastructure, providing free education to all, ensuring that all have access to healthcare. Many schemes are also implemented for the backward classes through a system of reservations. So, the present day government ensures that part of the revenue collected is used for the welfare and upliftment of the common man.

Let’s do

6. Collect popular tales about-rulers from any one of the following groups of people: the Rajputs, Jats, Sikhs or Marathas

There are many tales about Maharaja Ranjit Singh who was popular with the masses, here are a couple of them:

An old lady

Once, the procession of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was passing by. People had gathered on both sides of the road to see the king and pay obeisance to him. Suddenly, an old woman pushed through the crowd and stopped right in front of the king’s horse. She was carrying a pan which she started rubbing on the Maharaja’s foot. Everybody was astonished. The attendants and the accompanying soldiers quickly seized her and tried to pull her away from the king. But Maharaja was intrigued. He asked the old lady why she was rubbing the pan against his foot.

She replied that he was called the ‘paras’ or the philosopher’s stone which is supposed to turn base metals into gold so she wanted to rub her iron pan against his foot to turn it into gold

The King was amused by the simplicity of the old woman and ordered that she be bestowed with lots of money and utensils so that she may live the rest of her life in comfort and happiness. Thus, the king fulfilled the meaning of his name – ‘Paras’

Amused and happy with the simplicity of that woman, he ordered to give her lots of money and utensils so that she could live a happy life. He fulfilled the meaning of his name–Paras.

The Mango Tree

One day some children while playing came across a tree laden with mangoes. They were feeling hungry at the sight of the delicious mangoes. One of the children picked up a stone and aimed it at the mango tree hoping to bring down a shower of mangoes. The Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s caravan was crossing that way just then. Unfortunately, the stone missed the intended target and struck the king’s head instead.

There was a commotion and a lot of hue and cry as the soldiers caught hold of the frightened child and threatened to punish him as they brought him before Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The child pleaded that he did not intend to hit the Maharaja and that it was an accident. He was only trying to hit the mango tree so that some mangoes would fall which he and his friends could share .

Maharaja Ranjit Singh said that if the tree was hit, it would give some of its fruit in return, so he should also give something in return because he was hit. So, he ordered the soldiers to distribute mangoes among all the children.

Solutions for In–Text questions of NCERT Class 7 History Our Pasts ll Chapter 8 ‘Eighteenth Century Political Formations’

Textbook Page no 95

See Chapter 4, Table 1. Which group of people challenged Mughal authority for the longest time in Aurangzeb’s reign?
Answer:

The Marathas under Shivaji had challenged the authority of the Mughals for a long-time during Aurangzeb’s reign.

Textbook Page no 100

What is the Khalsa? Do you recall reading about it in Chapter 6?
Answer:

The Sikh movement began to be politicized in the seventeenth century, a development which culminated in the institution of the ‘khalsa’ by Guru Govind Singh in 1699. The community of the Sikhs, called the ‘Khalsa Panth’, became a political entity. Under a number of able leaders in the eighteenth century, the Sikhs organised themselves into a number of bands called ‘jathas’ and later on ‘misls’. Their combined forces were known as the grand army (dal khalsa). Guru Govind had inspired the Khalsa with the belief that their destiny was to rule “raj karega Khalsa).

Textbook Page no 104

Imagine

You are a ruler of an eighteenth-century kingdom. Tell us about the steps you would take to make your position strong in your province, and what opposition or problems you might face while doing so.
Answer:

Steps to be taken to strengthen my position:

• I would stop waging endless and expensive wars against neighbouring kingdoms and try and build alliances with them, so that in case of attacks by enemies, we could present a united front and repel the attackers.
• I would build several forts at strategic places which would shelter the ordinary people in case of an attack from hostile forces.
• I would take strict measures to reduce wasteful state expenses which would allow me to lower the taxes that are collected from the common man, so that they get some relief.
• I would encourage the spread of agriculture and guide farmers to introduce a variety of crops which would increase the land under cultivation and help in growth of our revenue.
• I would take steps to curb the powers of the mansabdars and governors so that they would not be able to rise up in revolt against me.

Expected opposition would be from:

The masabdars and governors, would oppose the above measures. This is because their powers would be curtailed and their earnings would diminish if the rate of taxes were lowered.

Extra Questions NCERT Class 7 History Our Pasts ll Chapter 8 ‘Eighteenth Century Political Formations’

A. Multiple Choice type Questions (MCQ)

1. Which Rajput ruler did not accept the suzerainty of the Mughals?
(i) Raja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur
(ii) Sawai Raja Jai Singh of Amber
(iii) Rana Pratap of Mewar
(iv) None of the above

2. Where did Sawai Raja Jai Singh found his new capital?
(i) Udaipur
(ii) Jaipur
(iii) Jodhpur
(iv) None of the above

3. How many astronomical observatories , commonly known as ‘Jantar mantar’ did Sawai Raja Jai Singh construct?
(i) one
(ii) three
(iii) four
(iv) five

4. How many times did Ahmad Shah Abdali invade north India.
(i)  Four times
(ii) two times
(iii) five times
(iv) three times

5. Shivaji was the________.
(i) founder of Maratha Kingdom
(ii) founder of Sikh community
(iii) founder of Mughal Kingdom
(iv) None of these

6. Dal khalsa was set up in 1699 by ____.
(i) Guru Nanak
(ii) Guru Govind Singh
(iii) Guru Tegh Bahadur
(iv) None of the above

7. During which century did the Mughal empire decline?
(i) 17^th century
(ii) 18^th Century
(iii)19^th Century
(iv None of the above

8. Shivaji carved out a stable kingdom with the support of ________.
(i) jagirgar
(ii) deshmukhs
(iii) Kunbis
(iv Both (ii) and (iii) above

9. When did Nadir Shah sack india?
(i) 1769
(ii) 1739
(iii) 1793
(iv)1839

10. __________is held responsible for the decline of the Moghul empire.
(i) Akbar
(ii) Bahadur Shah Zafar
(iii) Shahjahan
(iv) Aurangzeb

Answer:

1. (iii) Rana Pratap of Mewar
2. (ii) Jaipur
3. (iv) five
4. (iii) five times
5. (i) founder of Maratha Kingdom
6. (ii) Guru Govind Singh
7. (ii) 18^th Century
8. (iv) Both (ii) and (iii) above
9. (ii) 173910.
10. (iv) Aurangzeb

B. Fill in the blanks to complete the following sentences with words from the box :

chauth	Chanderi	rakhi	Delhi	coin
twenty	Churaman	sardeshmukhi	Poona

1. A system called  ___________was introduced by the Sikhs in the 18^th century, offering protection to the cultivators on payment of __________ per cent of the produce.

2. The Khalsa declard their sovereign rule by striking their own ________again in 1765.

3. By the 1730s , the Maratha king was recognised as the overlord of the entire Deccan peninsula, He possessed the right to levy _______ and _________in the entire region.

4. New trade routes emerged within the areas controlled by the Marathas. The silk produced in the _________ region now found a new outlet in _______.

5.The Jats consolidated their power during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Under their leader __________, they acquired control over territories situated to the west of the city of _________.

Answers:

1. A system called  rakhi was introduced by the Sikhs in the 18^th century, offering protection to the cultivators on payment of twenty  per cent of the produce.

2. The Khalsa declard their sovereign rule by striking their own coin again in 1765.

3. By the 1730s , the Maratha king was recognised as the overlord of the entire Deccan peninsula, He possessed the right to levy chauth and sardeshmukhi in the entire region.

4. New trade routes emerged within the areas controlled by the Marathas. The silk produced in the Chanderi region now found a new outlet in Poona.

5.The Jats consolidated their power during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Under their leader Churaman, they acquired control over territories situated to the west of the city of Delhi.

C. Match the words in column A with those in column B

A	B
misl	Revenue farmers
kunbis	Turkish noble
faujdar	Maratha peasant warriors
Turani	Provincial governor
ijaradars	Mughal military commander
subadar	A band of Sikh warriors

Answer:

A	B
misl	A band of Sikh warriors
kunbis	Maratha peasant warriors
faujdar	Mughal military commander
Turani	Turkish noble
ijaradars	Revenue farmers
subadar	Provincial governor

D. State whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:

1. Shivaji often resorted to guerilla warfare against his opponents.

2. When Nadir Shah sacked Delhi in 1739, many of the city’s notables took refuge in the kingdom of Bharatpur.

3. Ranjit Singh was a notable Jat ruler.

4. After Shivaji’s death, effective power in the Marhata state was in the hands of a family of Chitpavan Brahamanas who served Shivaji’s successors as Peshwa (or principal minister)

5. The Mughal nobles were divided into two factions, namely kumbis and jathas.

Answers:

1. True

2. True

3. False – Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a Sikh ruler who established his capital at Lahore.

4. True

5. False – Mughal nobles were divided into two factions , namely the Iranis and Turanis.

E.  Very Short Answer type Questions:

1. Who plundered Delhi in 1739 and took away immense amount of wealth?
Answer:
The ruler of Iran, Nadir  Shah, sacked and plundered the city of Delhi.

2. What was the effect of emperor Aurangzeb’s long and protracted war in the Deccan?
Answer:
The military and financial resources of the Mughal empire were depleted.

3. Name two important trading centres in the areas dominated by the Jats?
Answer:
The towns of Panipat and Ballabhgarh became important trading centres in the areas dominated by the Jats.

4. Under whose leadership did the Jats become powerful?
Answer:
The Jats became powerful under Churaman.

5. Who rose in revolt against Mughal authority after Guru Govind Singh’s death in 1708?
Answer:
Banda Bahadur revolted against Mughal authority and declared sovereign rule of the Sikhs by striking coins in the names of Guru Nanak and Guru Govind Singh.

6. What do you understand by the term ‘chauth’?
Answer:
“Chauth“ refers to 25 per cent of the land revenue claimed by the zamindars. The Marathas  collected this In the Deccan

7. In what way did  the peasant-pastoralists ( kunbis) support Shivaji?
Answer:
The peasant-pastoralists were highly mobile and formed the backbone of the Maratha army. Shivaji used these forces to fight the Mughals in the peninsula.

8. What do you know about ‘sardeshmukhi’?
Answer:
9-10% of the land revenue paid to the head revenue collector in the Deccan is known as ‘sardeshmukhi’.

9. Were Rajasthan and Punjab in the North, Bengal and Orissa in the east a part of the Maratha empire?
Answer:
They were not formally a part of the Maratha empire but were made to pay tribute as a way of accepting Maratha sovereignty.

10. In which part of India did peasant and zamindari rebellions take place?
Answer:
Peasant and zamindari revolutions occurred in many parts of northern and western India.

11. Under whose rule did Bharatpur emerge as a strong state?
Answer:
 Under Suraj Mal, the kingdom of Bharatpur emerged as a strong state.

12. Which palace was modelled on architectural forms first associated with royalty under Shah Jahan?
Answer:
The Jats built an elaborate garden palace modelled on architectural forms first associated with royaty under Shah Jahan.

13. Who was Jahir Shah? How many troops did he have of his own?
Answer:
Jahir shah was the son of Nadir Shah. He had 30000 troops of his own.

14. What was the name for the whole army consisting of ‘misls’?
Answer:
The collective name for the whole army was ‘dal khalsa’.

15. Name the Maratha sardars (chiefs) who made Baroda their seat of power?
Answer:
The Gaekwads made Baroda their seat of power.

 16. Who seized the rich province of the Punjab and the Sarkar of Sirhind from the Mughals?
Answer:
Ahmad Shah Abdali seized the rich province of Punjab and the sarkar of Sirhind from the Mughals.

F. Short Answer Type Questions:

1. How was Mewar different from the other Rajput provinces?

 Answer:

Unlike most Rajput rulers who accepted the suzerainty of The Mughals, Mewar was the only state which defied Mughal authority. Rana Pratap ascended the throne of Mewar in 1572 with Udaipur and a large part of Mewar under his control. The Mughals sent a series of envoys to convince the Rana to accept Mughal suzerainty, but he stood his ground firmly.

2. Who were the Jats? How did they consolidate their power?

Answer:

The Jats were prosperous agriculturists. Like other states they also consolidated their power during the late 17th and 18th centuries. Under the leadership of Churaman, they acquired control over territories situated to the west of the city of Delhi.

By the 1680s they started dominating the region between the two imperial cities of Delhi and Agra. Towns like Panipat and Ballabhgarh became major trading centres in the areas dominated by them.

Under Suraj Mal the kingdom of Bharatpur emerged as a strong state. A fort was built at Bharatpur in a fairly traditional style. The Jats also built an elaborate garden palace combining styles seen at Amber and Agra. Its buildings which were modelled on architectural forms associated with royalty under Shah Jahan bear testimony to their wealth and power.

3. How did the later Mughal emperors lose their control over their nobles?

Answer:

The efficiency of the imperial administration broke down under the later Mughal emperors.

It became increasingly difficult for them to keep a check on their powerful masabdars. The nobles appointed as governors (subedars) often controlled the offices of revenue and military administration as well. This gave them extraordinary political, economic and military powers over vast regions of the Mughal empire.

As the governors consolidated their control over the provinces, the periodic remission of revenue to the capital declined.
The Mughal emperors after Aurangzeb were unable to arrest the gradual shift of political and economic authority into the hands of the provincial governors.

4. Describe the impact of Nadir Shah’s invasion upon Delhi.

Answer:

Nadir Shah, the ruler of Iran, sacked and plundered the city of Delhi in 1739 and took away a staggering amount of wealth. As a result, the Mughal treasury became impoverished. Delhi turned into a deserted place. The wealthy now became beggars. Chaos reigned. Those who once set the style in clothes now went naked and those owned property were now homeless. The New City, Le. Shahjahanabad turned into rubble. Delhi, once so affluent, became poor after Nadir Shah looted it.

G. Long answer Type Questions

1. Examine the reasons for the decline of the Mughal empire.

Answer:

Decline of Mughal empire towards the closing years of the seventeenth century happened due to following reasons:

• Emperor Aurangzeb’s prolonged battle in the Deccan had exhausted the military and financial resources of empire.

• The efficiency of the imperial administration broke down as it became very tough for later Mughal Emperors to control the powerful mansabdars.

• The governors and mansabdars controlled the offices of revenue and military administration (diwani and faujdari) which gave them tremendous political, economic and military powers over vast regions of the Mughal empire. As the governors consolidated their control over the provinces, the periodic remission of revenue to the capital declined.

• Peasants and zamindars became rebellious due to increasing taxes. At times the powerful chieftains tried to consolidate their own positions.

• Nadir Shah seized and raided the city of Delhi in 1739 and took away huge amounts of wealth.
• This invasion was followed by the Afghan ruler, Ahmad Shah Abdali, who invaded and raided north India five times between 1748 and 1761
• The empire was further incapacitated by the competition amongst two different factions of nobles, namely the Iranis and the Turanis. The later Mughal emperors were puppets in the hands of these two powerful groups.

2. Who established a stable Maratha kingdom and how was he successful?

Answer:

Towards the end of the 17th century, a powerful state started emerging in the Deccan under the

leadership of Shivaji which finally led to the establishment of the Maratha state.
Shivaji was born to Shahji and Jija Bai at Shivneri in 1630. Under the guidance of his mother and his guardian Dada Konddev, Shivaji embarked on a career of conquest at a young age. The occupation of Javli made him the undisputed leader of the Mavala highlands which paved the way for further expansion.

His exploits against the forces of Bijapur and the Mughals made him a legendary figure. He often

resorted to guerrilla warfare against his opponents.
Shivaji carved out a stable and prosperous kingdom with the support of powerful warrior families known as ‘deshmukhs’. Groups of highly mobile, peasant-pastoralists constituted the backbone of the formidable Maratha army. Shivaji used these forces to challenge the Mughals in the Deccan and check their expansion.

By introducing an efficient administrative system supported by a revenue collection method based on chauth and sardeshmukhi, he laid the foundations of a strong Maratha state.

3. Who ruled the Maratha kingdom after the death of Shivaji? How did the kingdom grow under his successors?

Answer:

After Shivaji’s death, effective power in the Maratha state was wielded by a family of Chitpavan Brahamanas who served Shivaji’s successors as Peshwa (or principal minister). Poona became the capital of the Maratha kingdom.
Under the Peshwas, the Marathas developed a verysuccessful military organisation. Their success lay in bypassing the fortified areas of the Mughals, by raiding cities where their supply lines and reinforcements could be disturbed.

Between 1720 and 1761, The Maratha empire expanded. It gradually chipped away at the authority of the Mughal empire. Malwa and Gujarat were seized from the Mughals by the 1720s. By the 1730s, the Maratha king was recognised as the overlord of the entire Deccan peninsula. He possessed the right to levy ‘chauth’ and ‘sardeshmukhi’.
Although Rajasthan and Punjab in the north, Bengal and Orissa in the east and Karnataka,Tamil and Telegu regions in the south were not formally a part of the Maratha empire, they were made to pay tribute as a way of accepting Maratha sovereignty.

4. How did  the system of administration followed by the Marathas contribute to the development of the region and the growth of cities?

Answer:

The Marathas developed an effective administration system. Once the conquests had been completed and Maratha rule was secure, they gradually  introduced revenue demands by way of ‘chauth’ and ‘sardeshmukhi taking local conditions into account.

Agriculture was encouraged and trade revived. This allowed the Maratha chiefs (sardars) like Sindhia of Gwalior, Gaekwad of Baroda, Bhonsle of Nagpur to raise resources for maintaining powerful armies. Ujjain expanded under Sindhia’s patronage and Indore under Holkar’s.

The cities were large and prosperous and served as important commercial centres as well as cultural centres. New trade routes emerged within the areas controlled by the Marathas. The silk produced in Chanderi, now found an outlet in Poona, the Maratha capital. Burhanpur which had earlier participated in the trade between Agra and Surat now expanded its hinterland to include Poona and Nagpur in the south and Lucknow and Allahabad in the east.

5. What did the Rajput kings get in exchange for their service?  How did they extend their control over adjacent regions ? What checked the expansion of their territories?

Answer:

Many Rajput kings, in particular those belonging to Amber and Jodhpur, had served the Mughals with distinction. In return, they were allowed to enjoy considerable autonomy in their ‘watan jagirs’.

In the eighteenth century, they tried to extend their control over adjacent regions. 

These influential Rajput families claimed ‘subedari’ of the rich provinces of Gujarat and Malwa. Raja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur held the governorship of Gujarat and Sawai Raja Jai Singh of Amber became the governor of Malwa. These offices were renewed by Emperor Jahangir in 1713.

They also tried to extend their territories by seizing parts of imperial territories neighbouring their ‘watans’. Nagaur was conquered and annexed to the house of Jodhpur, while Amber seized large portions of Bundi. Sawai Raja Jai Singh founded his new capital at Jaipur and was given the ‘subedari’ of Agra in 1722.
However, Maratha campaigns into Rajasthan from the 1740s put severe pressure on threse principalities and checked their further expansion.

Frequently asked Questions (FAQs) on NCERT Class 7 History Our Pasts ll Chapter 8 ‘Eighteenth Century Political Formations’